My U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/003,040 describes various forms of apparatus for carrying out an amusement or educational function accompanied by audible sounds relating to an article, such as a book, toy or doll. Briefly, the described apparatus comprises a fixed memory unit to be attached to the article or at a fixed location in the vicinity thereof and including a read-only memory having digitally stored therein a recording of particular audible sounds relating to the article, and an output device. The apparatus further includes a portable sound-producing unit to be carried by a user and means to convert a digital recording stored in the read-only memory of the memory unit to audible sounds. The sound-producing unit further includes an input device which, when coupled to the output device of the memory unit, plays back the particular recording stored therein, and when coupled to the output device of another article having a different recording stored therein, plays back that recording. Thus, the same sound-producing unit is usable with a plurality of such articles having different recordings therein.
The present invention is directed to new applications of such apparatus. Illustrative examples of such new applications as described herein include museums or exhibitions displaying, different articles each described in a message recorded in the memory unit; sales, manufacturing, and maintenance demonstrations for describing an article or the manner of its manufacture or maintenance; and geographical directories, providing directions for travelling to various destinations marked thereon. Many other applications of the invention will be apparent from the description below.